The week I recorded this trailer and my first episodes - the second week of September 2025 - Sam Altman had just tweeted “I never took the dead internet theory that seriously but it seems like there are really a lot of LLM-run twitter accounts now.”

And then a couple days later Inception Point AI announced they were going to generate 3000 new podcast episodes every week. With fake hosts. Calling anyone who doesn't like them "lazy luddites."

It's time to take the dead internet theory seriously, especially if you make things for the internet. So welcome to The Human Internet Theory, a podcast that takes the dead internet seriously and helps you create real human things online to stand out amongst this sea of generated "stuff".

Host Jen deHaan has a few decades background on the creative internet, and a decade of experience as a performer. She merges these two things and brings it to you with actionable steps to bring more humanity to what you create for your customers or students online.

This lazy luddite hopes that you believe in the undead human internet, and will subscribe to this new show (made by a human) and follow along.

Episodes 1-3 will drop next Wednesday, and then new eps drop every Wednesday after that.

Written, edited, and hosted by Jen deHaan.

Subscribe to this show's newsletter for additional resources https://humaninternettheory.com

Produced by Jen deHaan of StereoForest https://stereoforest.com

Your support will help this show continue. Funds will go towards hosting and music licensing for this show and others on StereoForest. This show is produced by an independent HUMAN artist directly affected by the state of the industry. StereoForest does not have any funding or additional support.

If you find value in our shows, please consider supporting them with a one time donation at https://stereoforest.com/tip

Jen's professional background is in web software technology (audio/video/web and graphics), working for many years in Silicon Valley. Her focus has been in instructional design, writing, marketing, and education in the creative space. She was also a quality engineer for awhile.

As a side quest, Jen became involved in performing, acting, and improv. She taught dance fitness classes despite beginning with two left feet, performed in community theatre, and taught and coached improv comedy and acting at several schools including World’s Greatest Improv School (WGIS) and Queen City Comedy. For awhile Jen was also the Online School Director and Marketing Director at WGIS.

Jen has a university degree in teaching creative arts to adults, certification with honours from Vancouver Film School, and a certificate of graduate studies from Tufts University Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy.

Jen's website: https://jendehaan.com

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In this episode, I'm really getting into what I believe is the most important element for creating a compelling character: their point of view. I’ve found that the most interesting thing about a character isn't what they do, but why they do it. A strong, consistent POV is the lens through which your character sees the world, and it’s what separates a memorable performance from a flat cliche.

First, I'll give you a clear definition of what a point of view actually is (like, more than just an opinion). Then, I'll walk you through four distinct methods to help you build and establish strong POVs in your own scene work. We'll cover how to use emotion, observation, and justification to inform your characters.

Last up... I'll share something that ties it all together, that'll help you build a rich inner life for your character without ever needing to do a boring monologue about their backstory. I'll provide practice exercises for each method that you can use with a group or even on your own. Because I'm a fan of the solo improvs!

Alt title: Get to Skin Suit Town: 3 Exercises to Improve Your Acting

In this episode, I'm diving into one of the best acting exercises you can give yourself: practicing scene work with little dialogue, or even none at all. I’ve found that learning to use physicality, emotional reactions, and environment is what changes a performance from "just saying words real good" to truly embodying a believable character. Or like... as I like to say because it is now improv canon, "get to skin suit town".

I’ll explain why taking dialogue away forces you to slow down, live in the scene, and build a story layer by layer. Part of that oh-so-classic "show, don't tell" advice. Then, the exercises. You can add three new exercises to your workout to build this skill. I'll also tell you how to adjust them to practice on your own.

And if you do a lot of audio-only improv or have difficulty with nonverbal cues: I’ll specifically explain why this work is still useful, and how you can adapt it to your own unique brain and performance style.

As an aside! If you have trim silence features on in your podcast app, I'm gonna guess it'll trim a few intentional pauses in this one ;)

Resources Mentioned:

• Downloadable PDF Exercise Guides: improvupdate.com/downloads
• The Improv Update Discord Community: improvupdate.com/discord
• Free Improv Worksheet & Newsletter: improvupdate.com/newsletter
• Improvised Comedy Podcast, Grack Public Access: stereoforest.com/grack

Download the Free Post-Show Reflection Guide: Sent to your inbox when you subscribe to either newsletter (and added to the footer to each message if you're already subscribed).

Get a booklet with six exercises to help you get reps in challenging scenes called "Exercises to Ruin You"

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• Chat about improv and comedy: Join the Improv Update Discord here.

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This podcast was created, written, and is hosted by Jen deHaan. You can